Windmill



G. W. LEA

WINDMILL Dec. 17, 1940..

2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1939 lnve nror G.W.Lea

Patented Dec. 17, 1940 WINDMILL George Wylls Lea, La

Rivere, Manitoba, Canada- Application January 12, 1939, Serial No. 250,654

3 Claims.

The principal object oithe present invention is to produce a windmill of the cup type, having the cups arranged in a plurality of vertical spirals on a central shaft for steady continuous power. v

A further object of the invention is to construct the windmill for continuous operation by wind blowing in any horizontal direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plurality of cups in integral units for quick attachability or removal from the central shaft or to vary the pitch of the spirals.

A further object of the invention is to construct the rotating parts of 'the windmill such, that the structural parts, other than the cups, offer a minimum of resistance to the wind and the cups themselves are arranged and spaced to provide ample clearance therebetween for wind slippage.

A'fuither object of the invention is to provide a relatively light, strong, rigid, cage frame construction surrounding and aligning the power portion of the windmill and said frame designed to cause very little diversion of the wind from its course.

A further object of the "invention is to build the windmill on a tower and to any height desired in order to obtain the advantage of power from higher winds. I

A further object of the invention is to build the device on a guy wired framework and to stand high wind pressures up to cyclonic proportions without damage while running.

A further object of the invention is to construct the device so that it requires very little lubrication and .to provide means at ground level for lubricating the elevated parts.

A further object of the invention is to construct the windmill for any maximum speed desired and such maximum speed will notbe exceeded at higher wind pressures than required for such speeds.

A further object of the invention is to construct the device in a simple, efficient and durable manner and with all the working parts formed as an integral unit, in .bearings, on a single rotating shaft.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a gear container on the central shaft of said windmill for reduction gearing and said gear container may be rotated around said shaft and locked, for power delivery in any direction desired.

With the above important objects in view which will become more .apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists essentia y, in

the arrangement and construction of parts, hereinafter, more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a face view of the windmill on a tower.

Figure 2 is a Figure l.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken at the upper end of the windmill on the line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section showing the operation of the thrust bearing for the wind vane.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the cup units.

Figure 6 is an enlarged horizontal section through the hub of one of the cup units.

Figure '7 is an enlarged horizontal section through one of the cups.

Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective View of various parts of the windmill frame.

Figure '9 is-an enlarged detailed vertical section of the central bearing.

Figure 10 is a side view of and associated parts. v

Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the anchor bar for the gear container. I

In the drawings, like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. k

A frame tower is indicated by the numeral I, an provided with four corner legs 2 and suitably cross braced as at 3. A flooring 4 is provided and the lower half of the tower will be suitably enclosed to form a building. The upper end of the tower is provided with three cross members 36 5, 6 and l which form a base for the windmill here to be described.

The windmill framework 8 is provided with four vertical corner standards 9 composed in the present instance of tubing. the standards are'provided with flanges In which are bolted to the crossmembers 5 and 1. The upper ends are provided with enlargements II which form the hub for two outwardly extending tubings l2 which are ninety and have their outer ends turned in opposite right angle bends and provided with circular flanges l3. Connecting tubings I l having flanges at either end connect the flanges l3' to the flanges I3 carried by Accordingly, the hub ll, extending tubings l2 and connecting tubings l4 form a re-enforcement around the windmill for the corner standards approximately half way up the mill.

horizontal section taken at 2-4,

the gear container The upper part of the enlargements H are 55 The lower ends of 40 degrees apart the next corner standard 9.

provided with flanges l5 which are bolted to flanges I6 of further upstanding tubings I! which form a continuation of the corner standards 9. The upper ends of these tubings are flanged as at l8 and bolted to flanges IQ of horizontal centrally converging tubings 20. The inner ends of the tubings 20 are screwed into the walls of an inverted cup shaped member 2| which is centrally located in respect to the framework.

A Vertical shaft 22 projects upward from the centre of the member 2| and the upper end teleshaped member 2|, the shaft 22 is provided with a collar 26 having outwardly projecting rings 2'! on the periphery thereof. Hooked rods 28 connect to these rings and the other ends of the rods other and now to be described.

Each cup unit comprises three cone shaped cups 36 having the apex of the cone pressed into a partial sphere. A bolt 31 passes through the apex of each cone and fastens the cup to a base 38 having a corresponding shaped side to fit the cup and this base, in turn, is screw threaded to an arm 39 of circular cross-section. The inner ends of these arms are screwed into equi-spaced holes in a split collar 40 which has its ends terminating in adjacent registering lugs. A bolt 4l passes through the lugs to formthe collar into a clamp.

The units are placed on the drive shaft by passing the collars thereover. The units are also spaced one above the other with the upper edges of the lower cups in the same plane as the lower edges of the upper cups. The cup units are also rotated on the shaft to a tral cups and .permit their free rotation although the tubings do not extend as far out.

The lower end of the drive shaft 34 continues to extend downward to within a few feet of the floor and is then telescoped over and fastened to a solid shaft 42 by bolts 43. The shaft 42 has the lower end received within a thrust bearing 44, supported on a circular concrete base 45 which is centrally located and flush with the floor 4.

The lower part of the shaft 42 is shouldered at 46 to support a ball bearing 41. A further ball bearing 48 is located above the bearing 46 and the two rotatably support a gear casing 49 suitably connected thereto by a bracket 50. A bevel gear 5! is fastened to the shaft 42 between the bearings 41 and 48 and meshes with a pinion 52 extending from the gear casing. A gear shift lever 53 controls the driving gears (indicated in dotted outline) to a pulley 54. Three rods 55, embedded in the concrete base 45, extend upward at evenly spaced distances around the drive shaft and support a horizontal channel shaped ring 56. An anchor bar 57 is fastened to and extends downward from the gear casing. The lower end of this bar is formed into a T shape and is curved to conform to the curvature of the ring 56, is received therein and locked thereto, by suitable clamps 58 to prevent rotation of the gear casing.

From the above construction it will be apparent that the drive shaft will drive the pulley 54 through the gears 51 and 52 and the gear casing may be unclamped, rotated, and again locked in any position around the shaft for a drive in any radial direction.

The two ball bearings 32 and 25 are each provided with lubrication by pipes 59 and 60 which pass through the cover plates of said bearings. These pipes pass down the frame and tower to ground level where suitable oil or grease guns may be attached when lubrication is required.

No matter which direction the wind comes from there will always be a similar number of cups in position to contact and be operated by the moving air and accordingly, a continuous torque will be transmitted to the drive shaft as the cups are continually coming into and passing out of engagement with said wind. The returning cups, being of around nosed cone shape, offer Very little resistance and the outside framework, being composed of tubing, not only gives great rigidity and strength, but does not alter the course of the wind to any appreciable extent.

Due to the drive shaft being circular as are also the cup arms 39, very little resistance is ofi'ered to the wind through the central portions of the mill and as the cup units are constructed in series of three 'cups to a unit and each unit is a considerable distance farther around the drive shaft, ample space is permitted for the eddy currents of air to pass clear of the whirling cups after striking the first one. The spiral cups can be placed very close together, as they are not in the same plane, and so take full advantage of the wind. Further. it will be noted that ten cup units are on the drive shaft and are so arranged that only one cup at a time comes fully into the wind at a time. This ensures a steady powerful torque action on the drive shaft. The number of units placed on the shaft is almost unlimited and is only dependent on the power desired. Any height may be attained. Spirals may be formed with any number above two. The mill is always in the wind and always running. The large number of units provide considerable Weight to the drive shaft and this weight acts as a flywheel giving the windmill a relatively constant speed even when the wind is fluctuating. The powercan be delivered in any direction from. the drive pulley 54 and when power is not required the gear shift lever can be placed at neutral and the pulley will stop rotating.

A peculiar characteristic of this windmill is, that for a given diameter of the units, a certain speed will be attained when the wind reaches a given strength. The smaller the diameter the faster the speed and conversely, the larger the diameter the slower the speed. If the wind increases above such strength the speed of the mill will not increase. In other words, when the requisite speed is attained, a resistance to the rotation appears to be set up in the whirling cups which maintains the speed of the mill relatively constant. The exact explanation is not known. This peculiarity is highly advantageous as the mill can be operated continuously in all winds, requires no governor, and cannot attain dangerous speeds even in winds of cyclonic proportions. The guy wires, of course, will be strong enough to stand any lateral pressures at such times.

As all the working parts are carried by the central shaft and the whole apparatus rotates as a unit, the only mechanical friction developed is at the bearings. The upper two can easily be lubricated by remote control. The mill accordingly, requires very little attention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a windmill construction, a drive shaft carried in bearings on a framework, a plurality of cup units carried in spaced relation along said shaft and with the cups of said units in spiral formation around said shaft, each unit comprising, a spider having a centrally located split hub receivable on said shaft with means to release said hub from said shaft to vary the relation or alter the pitch of said cups therearound, said cups being of a cone shape and carried by the outer ends of the legs of said spider with the open faces thereof facing in the same circumferential direction.

2. In a windmill construction, a drive shaft carried in bearings on a framework, a plurality of cup units carried in spaced relation along said shaft and with the cups of said units in spiral formation around said'shaft, each unit comprising, a spider having a centrally located split hub receivable on said shaft with means to release said hub from said shaft to vary the relation or alter the pitch of said cups therearound, said cups being of a cone shape and carried by the outer ends of the legs of said spider with the open faces thereof facing in the same circumferential direction, a pulley rotatably mounted in a gear casing and driven by said drive shaft, said gear casing rotatably mounted on said drive shaft, and means for locking said gear casing in any position therearound.

3. In a windmill construction: a drive shaft, carried in bearings on a framework; a plurality of cup units, carried in spaced relation on said drive shaft; said units comprising, a three legged spider, having a centrally located split hub receivable on said drive shaft, and with cups at the ends of the legs of said spider; fastening means on said hubs for tightening same to said drive shaft at all positions thereon; the cups of said units being of a cone shape and with the open faces thereof facing in the same circumferential direction; and said hubs positioned on said drive shaft with the cups of said units in spiral formation therearound.

GEORGE W SELLS LEA. 

